Sweet obedience

Chapter Three

Rhaella woke up as the sun was just rising on the horizon, she could see out of the windows from where she lay in bed, even to the glistening blue waters behind the city walls. Her sheets lay crumpled around her waist, the black silk of her dress and the tan of her skin sparkling in the golden light.
Rhaella had always been an early riser: sunrise had always been her favourite time to ride Viseria, before most of the island had awoken and when she had found the sky was at its clearest. Dragonstone was known for its temperamental weather, and even though she was a competent rider in the rain, she preferred the sunny weather.
Weather wasn't so much of an issue there in Kings Landing, so Rhaella decided to savour the lie in, she could take Viseria out later that day.
She expected her ladies would be in soon to draw her a bath, but after that she supposed she could explore the keep. It had been so long since she were last year, and she wanted to see if she could remember all of her old favourite hiding spots. She and her brothers used to spend hours playing hide and seek, and she had always been the best at the game.
Those times were much simpler, and she would undoubtedly see the keep in an entirely different light to back then. It didn't feel like home now, it didn't particularly feel safe.
As she lounged around in the bed, stretching her limbs out one by one, Rhaella suddenly remembered that her door was locked.
She stood quickly out of bed and walked on her tip toes over to unbolt the heavy door. She didn't need Alicent knowing she were locking herself in at night, even if it were at the command of her son, and she knew the ladies that were serving her were loyal to the Queen.
Much had changed since Rhaenyra had taken her family away, and she seemingly had lost much of her support at court.
But perhaps she could do something about that.
As Rhaella sat by the window, plotting all the ways she could garner more support for her mother, the true heir to the Iron Throne, she heard the familiar sound of footfall heading her way.
She counted down from three to one in her head, and as if on cue the ladies swung open her doors and poured into her chambers. All five of them.
At Dragonstone she only had two ladies, Alira and Charys, but she instructed them to stay at home with Baela. She knew they wouldn't be safe at court, she'd heard the rumours about Aegon and his affinity for any woman who was not his wife, and she couldn't protect them here.
They washed and bathed her, scrubbing every inch of her skin with rich scented oils, and then added a few drops of lavender oil to her hair, combing it though until it was silky soft.
She instructed her ladies to help her into one of her favourite dresses, a cream coloured chiffon piece with loose billowing sleeves, slashed vertically to show off the toned muscles below. The dress cinched at the waist with an intricate silver corset, the pliable metal molded into a pattern that reminded her of honeycomb, and the layered skirt flowed loosely to the floor. The neckline was daring, cutting down deep to the corset, parting her breasts and showing off the soft skin above her breast bone. A long silver necklace decorated her neck, the pendant between her breast a dragon in flight. Both the necklace and dress had been fashioned in Pentos, and shipped over especially as a gift from a rich Pentoshi nobleman.
She let her hair flow freely, each side of her locks pulled back from her face with a single braid- which were tied together loosely at the back of her head. To appease her ladies, she let them apply a rosy gloss to her lips and a slash of mascara to her lashes, and when she looked in the mirror she quite liked the final result.
"The tourney starts in a couple of days," One of the ladies, Hanna, she believed, exclaimed with excitement. "Have you thought about who you will give your favour to?"
"I may have an idea." Rhaella replied vaguely, "but if someone else asks, I cannot exactly deny them."
"I heard Aemond may ask for your favour." Another lady, Kenna, stated and watched for her reaction.
Rhaella paused, her lips parted softly, as she considered her response, "where did you hear that."
It didn't make sense, just yesterday he had told her he had no interest in the tourney. Perhaps his main goal was purely to torment her, after the previous night it certainly seemed possible that that were his intention. Maybe it was some long awaited revenge for the night they took his eye.
"I overheard a conversation as I walked past the training yard ," Kenna shrugged, "everyone is talking about the tourney... everyone is talking about you."
"The beautiful Targaryen princess." The red headed maid Bonnie added. "The most beautiful woman in the history of the seven kingdoms."
"I'm a Velaryon," Rhaella corrected them.
"Only until you ascend to the throne." Hanna stated.
"And I know these men are only saying what they think I want to hear." Rhaella stated, "and I don't care for such remarks, they mean nothing to me."
"Everyone likes to be told they are pretty." Kenna finished fluffing up the skirt of her dress.
"Yes, but I don't require that to feel validated." Rhaella slipped on a pair of white pumps.
"Surely you want a husband who swoons over you." Hanna asked naively, she had read too many fairy tales.
"I am a Princess, and one day I will be Queen. I require a husband who will fill me with children, offer me wise counsel, and who comes from a Great House of Westeros. Among other things." She hadn't quite made a list of what she were looking for, but she had been reminded of her duties enough growing up to know was most important.
Her mother had once told her she wished she could marry for love, but the odds were against her- as they were with most women.
"That doesn't sound very romantic." Bonnie pouted.
"I don't require romantics to forge a successful alliance... marriage." She corrected herself quickly. Not that there was much difference between the two.
"That sounds lonely." Kenna frowned, fixing a few stray strands of hair on Rhaella's head.
"I have my family, bona iksos ry nyke jorrāelagon" That is all I need. The Princess smiled, "blood is thicker than water."
"Shall we go and stroll around the gardens?" Her other lady, Elaena, suggested.
"You go ahead, I will catch up." She had a few things she wanted to do first.
They tried to insist that they accompany her, but Rhaella made it clear that she wished to be alone for a while.
And despite being assigned to her side, they couldn't ignore a demand from a Princess.

Once she were certain that no one would follow her Rhaella left her chambers; she headed towards the Serpentine steps, which were every bit as steep and exhausting as she remembered, and then into the Royal Sept. She noticed the looks that were sent in her direction, at the billowing dress which blew in the summer breeze softly and at the exotic features across her face. It had been a while since she had last prayed to the gods, and after the encounter with her Uncle last night, she felt as if she needed absolution.
There were a few people praying as she stepped through the door, but upon her arrival they soundly finished their business. She told them to stay, but she were glad she could be alone. 
Candles lined the walls, and broken light streamed in through the window at the end of the sept. The room was comfortably dark, and still warm from the long summer.
Rhaella stepped through the small sept, making her way to the altar in the middle of the room, where even more candles burned away in the centre.
With a thin match, she lit three further candles, and watched for a moment as the wicks flickered with a growing orange flame.
She knelt down carefully, placing her elbows against the hard stone, and then pressed her head to her hands, fingers laced together and eyes closed.
She prayed to the mother, to look after her family in her absence; she prayed to the maiden, asking for forgiveness for the way in which Aemond had touched her, and for luck in finding a suitable husband; and finally she prayed to the Crone, for the wisdom she needed to make the right decision.
Rhaella wasn't quite sure how long she sat there, kneeling on the floor with her head in her hands, but she knew she felt a weight lifted off her chest.
In fact, she only snapped back to reality when someone coughed behind her.
Rhaella spun, still kneeing on the ground, and looked up to see her tall, cruel Uncle standing there in the doorway.
"Are you here to pray?" Rhaella asked piously.
Aemond scoffed dismissively, "we are the gods."
"We are only near to gods because of our dragons." Rhaella shook her head, "without them we are just men."
Aemond looked around the sept, as if he had never stepped foot in there before. "We both have dragons."
"I remember a time when you didn't."
She could see her words struck a nerve. "And now I ride the largest dragon in the world."
"I am well aware Uncle. Why are you here, if you don't believe in the gods?" She rose slowly, not wanting to be on her knees in front of him- he was enjoying it a little too much.
"Your ladies lost you, and I had a few ideas about where you might be."
Rhaella chuckled, "you act as if you know me? Ao gaomagon daor gīmigon issa rȳ ry." You do not know me at all. She straightened out her dress, shaking any dust off the skirt, and touched her necklace making sure it was still in place.
Aemond closed the space between them, taking a finger and placing it softly under her chin, tilting her eyes up to meet his, "Nyke ūndegon ao." I see you.
She tilted her head, "Skoros gaomagon ao jaelagon?" What do you want?
"Rhaenagon issa tolī." Meet me later.
"Daor." No.
"Konīr iksos nykeā ruarza nerni isse aōha tistākēlio." There is a hidden door in your room. "Nyke jāhor umbagon syt ao, ry bantis lo nyke emagon naejot." I will wait for you, all night if I have to.
"Nyke don't pāsagon ao." I don't trust you.
Aemond smirked arrogantly, "Rhaella, if I wanted to hurt you I would have already. There may be many threats here, but you do not need to worry about me. I give you my word."
"The word of a would be kinslayer means little to me." She spat the angry words, brushing past him with a determination to get as far away from him as possible, she didn't want to curse in sight of the gods.
He caught her wrist, yanking her to a sudden stop.
"I don't know what games you are playing, but I am not going to take part any more."
"I'd never play games, not when it comes to you."
"That's strange," she looked to his grasp on her arm, "because it certainly feels that way."
Aemond let her go, "your ladies are waiting for you in the Throne Room. Better be on your way, niece."
Rhaella nodded once, before taking off quickly away from the sept.
She heard him call after her, reminding her that he would be waiting later that night. It was a threat, not a promise.
Her heart beat out of her chest, her breath shaking as she tried to regain her composure. When she was around him she could barely breathe, she could barely function, she barely remembered how to act and how to speak.
He made her angrier than anyone ever had before, and he had barely done anything. All he had to do was just exist.
She knew she shouldn't meet even entertain the idea of meeting him, but yet the thought remained in the back of her head. A nagging tonight, like an itch she couldn't scratch.
She hurried to the Throne Room, not all too far from the sept, wondering what it was they could want from her there.
Luckily, Aemond didn't follow her this time.